Restructer Revolution
Deviate's Fish recommended that I should diverge from canon more often.
Okay, the start was very close to canon, as some readers may notice, because of character development and story development. On that note, things begin diverging around here, and become rather wild off in the Marineford Arc... within reason, of course. I will then conclude this story before the skip, to be continued in the upcoming Huge Revolution, which will cover the New World and subsequent arcs in One Piece, though this writer strongly suspects that a break is in order to check how the One Piece story plays out. Readers, keep your eyes peeled!
Yes, Ace is going to live. Live with it, readers.
On the romance note, not much will be dealing with romance, due to Oda's stand concerning shonen manga and romance (not interesting) so any mention of Faithshipping (Yusei x Aki) will be circumstantial at best, although they are definitely together, or going to be...!
XVIII: Prohibition
Previously:
"On this day... the pirate crew, led by captain, Monkey D. Luffy... the Straw Hat Pirates... was completely and utterly defeated." Yusei wearily began. "That's the inescapable truth. Now... is the battle to keep the last remaining two Straw Hats together. Now... is the battle for our own survival."
"Oi, young man," Kizaru raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that you can hit me?"
"Effect Veiler," Yusei hissed as a teal-haired girl with wings appeared, circling Kizaru once.
"What are you doing?" Kizaru looked at him as the admiral raised a leg. "That wouldn't..."
His visage suddenly changed completely. "My powers..."
"Now you know," Yusei answered. "Clustering hopes will become a new shining star, become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!"
"Dammit!" Sentomaru yelled, only find himself entangled in thorny vines.
"Take flight!" Yusei commanded as wings like sails, a body shining with the dusk sun glimmering off its body, glittering like all the stardust that its name held, appeared behind him. "Stardust Dragon!"
"A monster that can hit a Logia, a mindset that is ready to fight against all odds, even against an admiral, a dragon, and now the ability to negate abilities," Rayleigh chuckled as the pair unleashed both dragons upon the Marines. "A bottomless bag of tricks... I look forward to following the Straw Hats for the next few years... if only you were here, partner... you'd have been amazed by these dragons, wouldn't you? Roger?"
Blink. Blink.
He was on a bed. He was not having shackles attached to his appendages. Ergo, he was not in prison. Since he had no memory of retreating, only of savouring the lazy admiral's expression as Stardust Dragon blasted the Marine, probably off the island altogether, thus, Stardust should have won, but that would not have explained how he moved from under the open skies of Grove 12, to a strange place with an oddly familiar pine ceiling...
"Oh, you're awake," Shakky's face looked down at him from above, smiling indulgently. "You did well, defeating an admiral like that. Rayleigh San couldn't stop talking about dragons and magic, whatever that meant. There's water by the side, just in case. Don't worry, I don't take money from Monkey Chan's nakama."
"A- Aki..." Yusei made out, voice dry and cracked.
"She won too," Shakky nodded. "Imagine my surprise when Rayleigh San brought the both of you back, talking about dragons nearly eating an admiral and scary ghosts, and someone was with him. Your mysterious fan is still here, by the way, Sei-chan."
"I have something to talk with Sei-chan in private," a loud, smooth voice snapped Yusei back to full alert as shaggy white hair, sharp eyes and an expression of complete distaste came into view.
"Bakura Ryou?" Yusei mumbled, downing the water slowly as Shakky moved away to the back of the bar.
An evil grin spread. "No. I am Yami no Bakura. Your girlfriend's beside you, by the way."
"She's not my girlfriend," Yusei answered automatically, although he did check that indeed, Aki was lying on a makeshift bed next to him. "What are you here for?"
"Such a dull expression," Bakura chuckled as he caught sight of the brunet man's face. "And after I saved your life, too."
Yusei blinked. "Eh?"
"Admiral Kizaru?" the Marines murmured fearfully.
The Yellow Admiral strode fearlessly down the path to the auction hall, where Saint Shalulia was currently chewing out a few Marines for allowing the pirates to escape.
"What is the meaning of this, you lesser being?" she screeched once she had caught sight of the tall figure of Borsalino, a.k.a Kizaru.
The large Sentomaru snorted, using his broad-axe to support himself. One could see the vines scratches and thorn marks that really incapacitated the large guard. "Old man! What took you?"
Wordlessly, the Yellow Admiral slowly lifted one leg, pointing at the indignant Shalulia and the two other Tenryuubito behind her.
"Kizaru San!"
"Admiral Kizaru!"
"Oi, old man!" Sentomaru began yelling in alarm. "What are you-?"
The beam shot out, sending the human Auction house and the Tenryuubito up into a fiery conflagration of ash that had every witness bug-eyed in shock at that an admiral would do this, the admiral in question still with one leg out.
"G- Get him!" the commodore hollered.
As the cuffs of Sea Stone clicked around his wrists, Borsalino awoke from his stupor, the chattering of teeth and the cackle of a mad, bad immortal thief echoing in the shadowy recesses of his mind.
"Oh, he just accidentally destroyed a Dark Necrofia when he tried to hit you in the back," Bakura nodded, as if such an event was a casual occurrence.
"That's... the monster that lets you take control of an opponent's monster when you destroy it, right?" Yusei frowned. "What happened-?"
"Anyway," Bakura cut in. "How interesting. You, that is."
"Eh?" the mechanic blinked.
"Fudo Yusei," Bakura drew the syllables out lazily, as if reciting from memory. "Not much formal education by all accounts, highest honour a degree in theoretical physics from the University of Neo Domino, how I have no idea, but a self-taught polymath by all informal accounts. Well-liked by even Satellite's gangs, a few police officers, and the general impression is that of an ideal young man, if a little quiet and shy." He snorted at that. "Stardust Dragon certainly has nothing to be shy about."
"If you're here just to recite my every life achievement from back home, you're going to take a while to tell me what I can already tell you, and in great detail," Yusei dryly replied.
Bakura actually chuckled at that. "You see? Very few people actually talk back to me, especially when they realise that I can take control of them and find them wherever they are." he purred the last bit. "You! You, on the other hand..." he slunk, like a cat, back to the bar counter to grab a half-empty bottle to take a deep swig from. "You are interesting. See? You're already grabbing a weapon to defend yourself."
Yusei's gloved hand came up with a spanner. "Only useful thing in the pockets..." Yusei mumbled. "Well? Since you look like someone else I met today, I can assume that you're somehow related to Bakura Ryou, is that so?"
"My hikari must really take stock in you to predict your future," Bakura mused. "What did you get?"
"Irrelevant," Yusei growled. "Tell me or... I will find a way to get at you."
"Those eyes," Bakura chuckled wistfully. "Yes, those eyes... exactly the same as the Pharaoh... exactly the same as the little king... the same as the herald..."
"Judai?" Yusei's back straightened. "You've met Judai?"
"I am a part of the Dark, as it were," Bakura chuckled. "In your era's terms, I would exist in the same time as the Nameless Pharaoh."
"Three thousand years?" Yusei blinked. "You? That... makes sense, I think..."
"See?" Something about Yusei must have got to Bakura, for the white-haired man was still laughing, a cold sound that caused Yusei's skin to crawl and his instinct to move to full alert. "That readiness to accept even the near-impossible without proof... those eyes of burning focus... you're bored, aren't you? For an overgrown gecko, that dragon has good taste..." Bakura licked his lips.
Yusei grimaced as his right arm burned. "Can we not talk about that?"
"That's why you take up Turbo Duelling," Bakura smirked. "That's why you lived in that run-down house in Satellite until your sponsors finally made an offer you can't refuse. You're bored. Plain and simple. You're burned out, that's why you research even when, really, you wish that you were back into Duelling. That wouldn't be right, so you've always been in that city... isn't that right?"
"If you're done, you can show yourself out," was his flat reply.
"Ne, Fudo Yusei," Bakura purred as he finished the rest of the bottle. "That's why you follow him, don't you? When you see him... you see those battles waiting for you. For a so-called peaceful man, you're pretty bloodthirsty, King of Riding Duel."
Yusei hardly winced at the jab with his former title. "Luffy San... why I follow Luffy San... somehow... he attracts people to blindly circle forever around him by sheer force of presence."
"Don't you get philosophical with me," Bakura scoffed. "Now, you know what's going to happen. So, what you gonna do?"
"The details could use some working out, but... I think break into Marineford, get Luffy San and his brother out, and bust out is a good start," the Duellist replied.
"I think you're completely batshit insane," Despite the insult, Bakura was grinning. "Right then, good luck. Oh, and, one of your possible opponents will have this power... so, I'll hand it to you, then. Furthermore, do not use a specific card."
"Why?" Yusei asked once Bakura showed the cards to him.
"If you were to activate that card at the exact timing required, you would change the future." Bakura promptly answered. "For better or for worse, I do not know, since I cannot see it yet. What I can tell, is that, whatever the change, you can never turn back once you have played your card. Well? Choose..."
The cards were laid down right next to Yusei as Bakura headed for the door. "If you die, I'll make sure to hold a party for you if you make it a flashy ending."
"This power...?" Yusei held up the card to the light. "Phantom of Chaos...? And... this?"
"So, what did you need this pitiful elderly coater out of his watering hole for?" Outside the bar, Rayleigh eyed Bakura.
"Ara, Ray San, just in passing," Bakura answered lightly. "The wandering star is very interesting, isn't he? An idiot chasing after an idiot captain... but that idiot makes things interesting..."
"Makes things interesting," Rayleigh echoed. "So, is it safe for me to enter yet?"
"What do you think about them?" the white-haired man turned serious. "That guy, I know he won't have much of a problem. It's the captain I worry about."
"Somehow, against all odds, these two fought an admiral and won," Rayleigh chuckled as he gripped the door-handle to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar. "With that kind of monster on his crew, Luffy Kun won't have a problem."
By the time Rayleigh swung the door open, Bakura had already disappeared back into the shadows.
"With that kind of monster, huh?" Bakura scoffed, walking deeper into the darkness. "Old man, you have no idea who you just called a monster."
"Oh, you've woken up," Yusei looked up from the card left behind as Rayleigh walked in and closed the door. "What's that?"
"A card," Yusei answered. "Phantom of Chaos... somehow, everything ties into this card." He put it away into his jacket. "Anyway, Rayleigh San...?"
"Yu... sei?" Aki got up, rubbing her eyes. "What is... ah!" She sat up quickly. "We won."
"Aki," Yusei nodded. "That Bartholomew Kuma... what did he tell you?"
"That... he was a member of the Revolutionaries," Aki sighed. "And that... to allow the Straw Hats to live, I have to stop you from saving them."
"Who are those?" Yusei turned to an usually grave Rayleigh.
"Not much is known about them," Rayleigh shrugged. "They are apparently what they say they are, revolutionaries. They liberate countries and group them together under a different flag from the World Government, and thus are seen as a threat to the current political climate. Anyone who is a revolutionary is considered a threat and becomes wanted by the World Government. Their leader, Dragon, is often considered the world's most wanted man for this reason alone."
"That really doesn't explain why Kuma would want to save Luffy and the others," Aki considered. "Yusei?"
"The answer lies in the cards," Yusei drew one out. "Or, at least, what one card overheard. Sonic Chick, summon!"
"AH! Quack, Yusei Dono, to summon so quickly after exhausting yourself is bad for your health!" the Sonic Chick squawked as it appeared on the table.
"That's not the time for that," Yusei shook his head at the duck.
"Oh! How interesting!" Rayleigh chuckled. "What a cute pet you have, Yusei Kun."
Hane took umbrage at that. "I'll show you who's a pet-"
"Hane!" Yusei quieted it. "Now, when did you see Bartholomew Kuma, and what happened?"
"That stupid bear came back?" Hane looked scandalised.
Rayleigh broke out in laughter. "That's the first time I've heard anyone refer to the 'Tyrant' Kuma as a stupid bear."
"Ah, well," Hane shrugged its tail feathers. "When Yusei Dono defeated the giant zombie, after you fell unconscious, that stupid bear turned up. Yusei Dono's friends, given that they'd just fought off the shadow bastard, weren't in any condition to fight back, and so stupid bear wiped the floor with them. Then the marimo tried to be heroic and exchange his own life for the rest, and the stupid bear proves he's not all stupid and offers the marimo the rubbery captain's pain in exchange for the safety of the rest-"
"Wait," Yusei held up a hand. "Luffy San's pain, in exchange?"
"The stupid bear's paw-pads have the power to reject stuff," Hane scoffed. "So, stupid bear rejects pain from rubber captain's body, and offers swordsman chance to take it. Of course, Hane isn't going to defy an order, and so Hane jumped into stupid bear's way and knocked down marimo swordsman. Stupid bear attacks and Hane is thrown back a few times, but Hane is protected, so stupid bear soon realises that he can't attack anyone else in time for the dark to come. Then Stardust appeared, still in Buster, and the last thing Hane saw before Stardust Buster blew up with Buster Sanctuary was Stardust Buster throwing stupid bear across ocean."
"Wait, wait," Rayleigh chuckled. "You're telling me that a duckling like you stood up to the Tyrant Kuma and he couldn't kill you? Stop joking around."
The Sonic Chick's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. "People with strong power will never be able to kill Hane by brute force alone."
"Sonic Chick's monster effect," Yusei sighed. "Monster with a certain amount o power and above cannot destroy it by battle. Only that power managed to save you, Hane. As a Duellist... I can't help but worry about you guys."
"It's alright!" Hane chirped. "Anyway, stupid bear turned up again?"
"Stupid bear has run away," Rayleigh shook his head tolerantly. "Somehow, he seemed to actively avoid Grove 12 after you produced a dragon to fight Kizaru. If the duck was right, then your dragon really did punt Bartholomew Kuma into the sea, and that guy escaped."
"That Kuma also told me the same thing," Aki murmured. "Yusei, was he right?"
"What I don't get, is why would Kuma, or anyone behind Kuma, would try to destroy the Straw Hat Pirates," Yusei muttered.
Rayleigh laughed outright at that. "You must have been living under a rock for the last year, Yusei Kun. The Straw Hats are the very people responsible for the destruction of Enies Lobby!
"In doing so, they set fire to the flag of the World Government, and defeated the most fearsome team of assassins the World Government has, Cipher Pol Nine. The man whom you call captain, Monkey D. Luffy, has done many stunning and shocking things that have angered the World Government, and for his nakama alone! For Nico Robin, all eight of them charged into Enies Lobby and burned it to the ground, before narrowly escaping a Buster Call, the most fearsome of weapons the navy has at command. The sheer destructive power behind the Buster Call... a whole fleet of warships dedicated to destroying one island... the Straw Hat Pirates escaped that, and thus, every member is wanted.
"Knowing all of this... you are effectively staking your life in the hands of a madman on a search for adventure that might have been for nothing?"
"Yusei?" Aki whispered as a shadow fell over the man's expression.
"He's like a star..." Yusei whispered. "All alone in the vast universe, but... somehow, bodies of sufficient mettle are dragged to blindly circle forever in his presence. Even if he is a madman... even if he's an idiot... I suppose Bakura was right. Without Luffy San around... life wouldn't be quite so fun."
A gloved fist pounded on the bar. "I've decided. I've drawn from the deck of fate. So, all that's left is to wait for the chance! I will stake my life on the Straw Hats!"
"That would require a miracle," Rayleigh chuckled.
"Then I will create one." Yusei retorted. "After all, I am the handyman of the future Pirate King."
Somewhere in those piercing eyes, the flames of ambition have been reborn. I will become the Pirate King!, a distant voice echoed.
"If you're going to ridiculously throw your life away..." Aki growled. "Then I'll just have to follow you and make sure you don't die."
"Aki!" Yusei began.
"Do you really think that I'll let you go on a suicide mission alone?" There was a dark aura looming behind Izayoi Aki that had even the indestructible Hane cowering behind Yusei. "It couldn't be helped last time, but you can't fight a war alone, Yusei. Let me join!"
Yusei stared at her resolute expression for a few moments, before he sighed, and held out a hand. "Will you help me in the battle to come, Aki?"
"For you, I would even wear the mask of the Black Rose Witch into battle," Aki took the hand. "I am, after all, part of the Straw Hat crew now."
"Two people to take Marineford by storm," Rayleigh dead-panned. "That would be interesting to watch. Oh, and, I've just received the extra notice, that Fire-fist Ace is to be executed in five days."
"Luffy San will be there," Yusei said with every conviction. "He will be. Therefore, we have five days to plan and storm Marineford to get Luffy San and Ace out!"
"Five days," the former pirate Shakuyaku, a.k.a Shakky, sighed as she blew a ring of smoke. "Five days to plan to storm the centre of Navy power, the pride of the Marines, Marineford, rescue a death-row prisoner and a notorious outlaw, all the while in the middle of a potential war between the Whitebeard pirates and their allies and the Navy. At this time, Marineford will be facing the highest possible protection of all three admirals at one place, not to mention additional protection in the form of the seven Shichibukai. Two of the Three Great Powers of the world at one place... it does not have much promise, since you'll effectively be fighting a war with two fronts at best, and a united powerful enemy at worst."
"No," Yusei shook his head. "The newspapers said that this is to execute Fire-fist Ace, who is under Whitebeard's command, whoever he is. This will also be the first execution to be publicised via DenDen Mushi, which would mean that the Navy is planning a two-fold victory with this gamble at best. If the Navy wins the war against the Whitebeard Pirates, the people of the world would of course, support the Navy, and this would greatly enhance their image as bringers of justice, which makes it easier to spread their idea of justice. If the Navy loses, they can cut the broadcasts, pull out a secret weapon, and then quickly annihilate the pirates before putting the broadcast back on, thereby fooling the world. As far as I can figure, that's what the Navy is trying to do. That still leaves three questions unanswered; why Ace, when any Whitebeard ally would do, why bring the war straight into home ground, and finally, how?"
"How?" Rayleigh echoed.
"From the book of news reports and facts of the situation Shakky San kindly provided, any Whitebeard pirate would have been fine," Yusei frowned. "Why Fire-fist Ace, and even then how did they catch him? And how is Luffy San involved in all..."
"Yeah!" Luffy grinned. "It's my big brother's!"
"This," Yusei hissed. "Luffy San's brother..."
"Six days later, there will be a war within the heart of the Navy itself," Ryou continued, oblivious to both Straw Hats' faces. "Strawhat Luffy will participate in a desperate attempt to free the person around which the entire battle will be centred, a Portgas D. Ace, fighting continuously through the worst hell this world has to offer its criminals without pause for thirty-plus hours. His efforts may be in vain, or they might not, for he shall see the death of the closest man to his heart directly after that man was saved. Your captain, Monkey D. Luffy... no, Strawhat Luffy, will fight against all odds, to lose almost everything precious to him in the span of a week...
"Fire-fist Ace... Ace... Portgas D. Ace," Yusei realised. "They're all the same person... Luffy San's older brother."
"There are two of them?" Aki shivered.
"You grasp facts pretty fast," Shakky chuckled. "My help has to be limited, though."
"I can't actually participate in the battle, you understand," Rayleigh inclined his head. "I will still help you, though."
"The weapon is most likely the Pacifista," Yusei continued. "If I am right, the Whitebeard Pirates would be walking straight into a trap laid with Pacifistas. Assuming that the Marines are losing, their leader would no doubt cut all transmissions out of Marineford, release the Pacifistas on them, and once all the pirates are killed or have escaped, the Marines fool the world with their 'victory'."
"Saying all these doesn't work if there's no plan," Shakky answered. "So, what will you do?"
"If the Marines are planning to cut communications," Yusei actually smirked at that. "Then, we seize their communications. If they are intending to fight, we fight back. Seeing as there are only two of us, the best course of action is to get Whitebeard on our side before trying anything more overt than releasing a dragon on the Marines. Either way, for breaking up our crew... for trying to break our bonds... whatever weapons the Marines produce to fight, we take control and fight on our rules."
"Oi, oi, young man." Rayleigh laughed. "I know you're skilled, and your monsters have quite a punch in them, but you really intend to take on the Navy head-on?"
"Duel Monsters was originally a battle game," Aki considered. "It sounds good, but, where do we start?"
Yusei lifted the Sunny's DenDen Mushi, and more DenDen Mushi picked up from the ship's workshop, along with a portable computer from the Yusei Go Yusei had lifted on a quick trip to the Sunny to notify the crying Flying Fish Riders guarding the ship 'with their lives', of the situation. "With this. The DenDen Mushi works on the basic principle of telepathic snails. If we can disrupt them..."
"We can disrupt their communications," Aki growled as the terrified-looking snail. "For anyone else they would have to use other DenDen Mushi, but when I am here..."
"..." the terrified DenDen Mushi began a grinding sound, occasionally burping out words from Marine DenDen Mushi in the area.
"I was right..." Shakky glanced at the babbling snail. "She is scary..."
"Aki, you're better at offensive Duelling." Yusei decided. "The Go is outside, there's a few cards Yami San and Judai brought over the last time I saw them. Use them to produce our winning strategy, please."
"I knew that guy was up to no good!" Aki groaned as she moved out. "I should've shredded him..."
"-.-... Shakky San, I need more information on the Admirals, the higher chain of command, the Shichibukai and the Marines most likely to be there," Yusei told the older lady.
"Consider it done." Shakky nodded.
"Rayleigh San, if you can, I'll need a prediction on the Marines' likely movements." Yusei was rolling out a roll of fine tools gotten from the Doraemon pants. "I'll be fixing the DenDen Mushi attachments here. Let's go!"
"Of course," Aki brought down a whole box of cards on the bar counter.
"Leave it to me," Shakky smiled.
Rayleigh actually gave a full-bellied laugh at that. "I don't quite know your faith in bonds, nor do I know your determination... but, you have guts, that I'll readily admit. Well, then, let's begin!"
Two days passed with the DenDen Mushi cowered into eavesdropping spouting the occasional words, with almost no result. During that time, both Duellists and retired pirates planned, made arrangements and worked upon the mundane work behind the scene that was to come for the grand show; breaking a death-row prisoner from before the whole world, under the guard of Marineford and the Shichibukai themselves.
"Rayleigh San's done with the coating," Shakky relayed to Yusei, who was seated by the bar, tinkering with a few DenDen Mushi.
"I'm done with the extra attachments," Yusei put down a soldering iron. "Is Rayleigh San sure that the coating will hold? Our lives are in his hands."
"He made the coating permanent, like the Moby Dick's," Shakky shrugged. "It'll hold for sure. So, little lady?"
"Ah!" Aki gasped. "This..."
The DenDen Mushi still bore the same terrified expression as it began to spout words in the voice of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"This..." Yusei's eyes narrowed. "They're going to pull that trick... a change of heart... before the world..."
"To turn an ally against each other..." Aki growled. "As a Duellist... I can find no forgiveness for them! Those Marines... how can they call this justice? This is not justice, it's politics! Yusei!"
"Ah," the mechanic was back to adding attachments to the next DenDen Mushi. "That's what we're going to do. We're going to win. If they insist on playing by these rules... then, we change the playing field."
Preparation work for storming Marineford might be simple to outline, but rather more difficult to execute for only four people. For two people, the prospect of fighting two of the Three Great Powers would have been daunting without the intelligence of both former pirates. The plan to steal Ace away was quickly discarded in favour of swooping down from the skies in a heartbeat; Marineford was just too large for two people, Duel Monsters or not, to cover. In offensive power, both Duellists quickly determined that to side with Whitebeard was a better option compared to, say, duking it out alone against the Marines. The famous Marines and the Shichibukai were analysed to within an inch of what intelligence of both legal and illegal sources allowed, and even the floor plans of Marineford found a way into Yusei's hands. Such a feat of infiltration would not have been possible, if not for a happy accident involving a Marine DenDen Mushi and Izayoi Aki one fine day two days later in the Sabaody post. Between a psychic snail, and a Psychic Duellist, the Thousand Sunny literally had on hand first-hand information from the Marines themselves soon enough.
Either way, when the Straw Hat Duellists set out four days later on their suicidal mission, almost all preparations were already playing into their hands.
Sengoku the Buddha, Fleet Admiral of the Marines, had accounted for every single variable, save one; that you absolutely did not mess with the Straw Hat Pirates. His inability to follow this lesson would later prove to cost him dearly.
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